DPH Spotlights Safety Tips, Hosts Drawing Contest for International Bat Week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 15, 2026

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― In advance of International Bat Week (Oct. 24-31), the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) encourages residents to learn about the important role bats play in the environment while also being cautious in their presence. Additionally, DPH is hosting a drawing contest to encourage K-8 students to learn more about bats and the risk of rabies.

While bats are beneficial mammals that eat thousands of mosquitoes and other nuisance insects every day, they can also spread the rabies virus like raccoons, foxes, skunks and other animals. Rabies can be fatal, but is also preventable with treatment before symptoms start.

“Bat Week 2026 offers the opportunity to highlight the importance of bats and help dispel some of the common misconceptions surrounding them,” said Terri McCollister, DPH’s Rabies Program manager. “Although bats are one of the species that can carry and transmit the rabies virus, not every bat is infected with rabies. Bats play a vital role in South Carolina’s ecosystems, and like all wildlife, they should be treated with caution and respect.”

Members of the South Carolina Bat Working Group have compiled a list of events during October in celebration of Bat Week. DPH thanks all hosts and members of the Bat Working Group for their passion to share educational opportunities with our community members.

Ahead of Bat Week, DPH is hosting a drawing contest for K-8 students across the state. Students are encouraged to submit a drawing that demonstrates what to do if they, a friend or family member, or a pet finds a bat or has direct contact with a bat. The deadline for submitting a drawing is Wednesday, Oct. 21. For additional details and rules, visit dph.sc.gov/batweek.

Protecting Yourself and Others from Potential Rabies Exposure

An exposure is defined as direct contact (such as through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth) with saliva or brain/nervous system tissue from an infected animal. Be sure to immediately wash any part of your body that may have come in contact with saliva or neural tissue with plenty of soap and water and seek medical attention.

If you find yourself in the presence of a bat, it’s important to know that it’s not always possible to tell if you’ve been bitten because their teeth are small, and bites may go unnoticed. You cannot tell if a bat, or any other animal, has rabies by simply looking at it. Rabies must be confirmed in a laboratory.

Unusual behavior in bats that might indicate the animal could be sick and should be treated with caution includes daytime activity, inability to fly, and being found in places they are not usually seen, like in your home or on your lawn. It should be assumed a person or pet has been potentially bitten by a bat when:

• A bat is found in a room, living space or tent where someone was sleeping.
• A bat is found where children, pets or persons with impaired mental capacity (intoxicated or mentally disabled) have been left unattended; or
• They have been in direct contact with a bat.

DPH advises that bats involved with potential human or pet exposures should be captured, when possible, using precautions to prevent exposure. Stay calm and contact a wildlife control operator or visit DPH’s bat webpage to learn how to safely capture a bat, and call DPH's rabies 24-hour rabies reporting line at (888) 847-0902 (Select Option 2) to assist with submitting specimens to DPH’s Public Health Lab for rabies testing and to address any questions or concerns you may have about rabies.

The deadly nature of rabies highlights the continued need for education and awareness. The DPH rabies prevention team is available 24/7, and works diligently behind the scenes providing rabies risk assessments to known or potentially exposed people, to ensure their safety from a rare but serious public health concern. About 70% of human rabies cases in the United States are linked to contact with bats. The last human death to rabies in South Carolina occurred in 2011, from a rabies infected bat.

To find a low cost rabies vaccine for your pet, submit an animal incident report, find a wildlife control operator, or learn more about rabies in South Carolina, visit dph.sc.gov/rabies.

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